Return to the Sea
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: The Sequel to A Little Mal de Mer. They have to get home, after all, and that means another three days on a boat. Vincent isn't even going to fight it this time, but Tifa is.


Here we have the sequel to A Little Mal de Mer, which wrote itself in the space of about 24 hours over Thanksgiving break. I really have nothing to say for myself, except that you should have gotten used to me popping up with these random stories by now.. Oh, and I have fanart now! I'll link it in my bio page. Check it out, it's spectacular!

_

* * *

We're going _back_?_

"Yes."

_Why?_

"Because we live there?"

_Does it have to be on the boat again?_

"How else do you think we can get back? We came by sea, so we will return by sea."

Chaos moaned.

---------------------------------------------

Within half an hour of arriving on board, Vincent let Chaos loose. The demon retreated to the cabin and hid there until after cast off.

-------------------------------------------

A little over two hours after they'd left port, someone knocked on Tifa's door. She got up slowly, stretching, to answer it.

Chaos was standing in the hallway, wings pulled in tight to his back. He was an oddly dark shade of gray, which Tifa suspected would have been green if he'd had a skin color closer to normal.

"Can I have Marlene?" he asked softly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Marlene. Can I have her?"

"No, you may _not_," Tifa snapped.

Chaos flinched at Tifa's tone.

"Oh. I'll……be on deck if you let her out," he mumbled, and shuffled off towards the stairs.

"Who was it, Tifa?" Marlene asked, coming to peer around Tifa's hip. "Was it Cloud?"

"No, I think Cloud's taking a nap. It was….Chaos."

Marlene perked up.

"Does he want to play?"

"I'm…..not sure, exactly."

"Can I go see him? Where's his room?"

"He's not in his room, Marlene, he's on deck, but I don't think-"

"It's okay. I can find him."

Without further ado, Marlene skipped out into the hall and headed for the stairs, neatly evading Tifa's grab for her without meaning to.

----------------------------------

"Please tell me we will never, _ever_ do this again."

_You know I can't promise that._

"We didn't _have_ to come."

_You can't just turn down an invitation from the princess of Wutai, especially not to her birthday party._

Have you ever tried? And anyway, Cid can fly through everything else, why didn't he want to fly this time?

_Monsoon season, Chaos. HighWind said that he didn't see the point in getting the Sierra through the storms just to get to Yuffie's party, since she doesn't appreciate airships and makes that very clear by vomiting in them every chance she gets._

He should think about the rest of us.

_Most people don't take you into account when they make plans._

Well, they should.

_Keep working yourself up and it's going to be even worse for you._

How long is this trip?

_Three days, if the weather's good._

Chaos whimpered and folded his wings around himself, hiding in the warm, shadowy cocoon in a corner of the deck.

--------------------------------------

"Chaos! Mr. Valentine! Hello? Are you in there?"

Chaos pulled one wing back a little and peered out. Marlene was standing in front of him, one hand on his wing, the other braced on her knee, grinning at him.

"Hi! Tifa said you wanted to play."

"I don't want to play," he complained.

Marlene's smile shrank just a little.

"Oh. But….Tifa said you came, and…"

_I will never forgive you if you make her cry, you cretin. _Do_ something. _

Like what?

_Play with her! Make an excuse! Tell her a story! I don't know, just do it before she starts to cry and Tifa puts _me_ in the doghouse!_

Um…..um….I don't understand children!

_Now!_

"What do you want to play?"

Marlene's smile returned in full force.

"Hide and go seek," she said. "I'll go get Denzel."

"Do we have to play with Denzel?"

"Of course we do, silly! You can't play hide and go seek with only two people, it's no fun! You wait here, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

Marlene was back in minutes, dragging Denzel with her. Denzel hung back a little, nowhere near as comfortable around Chaos as Marlene was.

"Do you know how to play?" he asked Chaos.

"No."

"Marlene, he doesn't even know how to play! We can't play with someone who doesn't know the rules!"

"That's okay. I'll tell him how."

Marlene sat down on the deck, pulling Denzel down beside her.

"Okay. If you're it, you have to cover your eyes and count to a hundred, then say that you're coming, really loud so we can hear you. Everybody else runs away and hides. We can only hide out here, 'cuz it's a really big boat-"

"-ship," Denzel corrected.

"- and we don't want take forever. After you count, you come looking for us, and if you find us both, then you win. The first one you find gets to be it next time. We can move, though, if we want to, but you can't see us or we can get caught and we lose. If you can't find us, you can give up and you have to be it again. Okay?"

"Okay."

"You can be it first."

_I knew it._

"Cover your eyes," Marlene coaxed. "And no peeking. Count slow, like with chocobo or something."

"What?"

"You know, one chocobo, two chocobo, three chocobo-"

"I get it."

"Okay. Cover your eyes. With your hands, 'cuz me and Denzel don't have wings and yours are kinda see-through anyway."

Chaos obediently covered his eyes with both hands, waiting patiently for Marlene to give him more orders. All he heard was the pattering of small feet on the metal deck.

_You can start counting now._

----------------------------------------------------

"Ninety-nine chocobo. One hundred chocobo. I'm coming!"

_Exactly. Just like that._

Shut up.

_Handling children is an art, Chaos. You spend so much time watching me play with them I'd have thought you would have picked up a few things._

I have more interesting things to pay attention to than 'Childcare Theater'.

_If you had paid attention, you wouldn't be asking me for help._

Chaos stood slowly, scanning the deck around him for signs of either child. Nothing. No stray shoelace peeking out from under a chair or around a corner. No muffled giggling. No sign of them at all.

_I should warn you, though….they are _very_ good at this game._

Would you shut up?

_Do you want to lose?_

I don't want to win with your help. Go away and let me do this.

_Your loss._

Chaos searched the main deck carefully, peering under deck chairs and in crates. No kids. He checked the two doorways leading into the ship. No kids. Not on the observation deck one level above him, either. Stumped, he headed for the narrow strips of deck that circled the entire ship, where he'd spent his first afternoon on board on the outgoing trip. Not on the starboard side. He headed aft, on his way to the port side, when he ran into Tifa.

"Where's Marlene?" she demanded. "And Denzel?"

"I don't know?"

"I let her bring Denzel out here with you because I've been told I should trust you, and now you tell me you _don't know where they are_?"

"We're playing hide and go seek. I'm not supposed to know where they are….I think."

Tifa stopped, jaw working, trying to find something to say.

"They're really good at that game," she managed finally. "Do you want me to help?"

"I'll win on my own, thank you," Chaos said. "She won't pet my wings if I cheat."

He moved farther aft, leaving Tifa standing and staring at him in complete and utter shock.

----------------------------------------

He found Denzel crammed into an open storage locker near the farthest aft door on the port side.

"Aaawwww," Denzel whined, crawling out of the locker and sitting at Chaos' feet, dusting his jeans off. "I wanted you to find Marlene first."

"You were closer."

"I was?"

"I assume so, since I found you first."

Denzel rolled his eyes.

"Want me to help you look for her? It's allowed."

"I can do it myself."

"I'll be back at the chairs, then."

Chaos nodded and moved up the deck.

-----------------------------------

Marlene was hiding under the first of the steps just past the chain telling passengers where they weren't supposed to be. Not wanting to get busted by any crew members, Chaos crouched on his side of the chain and beckoned.

"I see you under there, so I win," he said. "Come out."

Marlene rolled free and skipped to Chaos' side.

"You found Denzel first, right? That means he's it now!"

"We're playing again?"

"Of course! You play it over and over and over!"

---------------------------------

Three rounds and a count of twenty-seven chocobo later, Chaos was hunkered down inside an empty crate, wishing Marlene would hurry up and finish counting so she could find him and he could get out before he threw up.

_You can't see the horizon. What did you expect from sitting in here?_

I'm trying to play, alright?

_You can always call it quits._

I won't!

_Chaos, speaking as someone who has, yes, you can._

If I give up, then I don't get Marlene.

_You don't get her anyway. There is no prize in hide and seek, only an endless loop of hiding and searching. Why are you so obsessed with her?_

She makes me feel better.

_God help me, you _like_ her._

Of course I do! She's the only thing that helps!

_She's a little girl, Chaos, not medication. _

"Fifty-one chocobo, fifty-two chocobo-"

Chaos swallowed and resisted the urge to peer over the edge of the crate for some fresh air. If Denzel could see him and was caught first, he would help Marlene find him and he'd lose.

_I don't claim any responsibility for this mess._

What mess?

_Your attachment to Marlene._

I'm not attached!

_You are. Trust me._

"Seventy-four chocobo, seventy-five chocobo-"

_Chaos….._

Hurry up hurry up hurry up.

"Eighty- seven chocobo, eighty-eight chocobo-"

_Chaos, this is not a good idea. You aren't doing yourself any favors by doing this. Get out of the box, go find somewhere to lie down, and take it easy._

"Ninety-one chocobo, ninety-two chocobo, ninety-three chocobo-"

Just a little longer. She's good at finding me.

_I don't understand you._

"One hundred chocobo! Ready or not, here I come!"

Chaos relaxed a little and waited. Marlene would be along soon. There were, after all, only so many places someone as big as him could hide in.

--------------------------------------------

Several minutes later, Marlene hadn't come yet. Chaos was balled up in his crate, feeling utterly miserable but refusing to do anything about it because he insisted that Marlene would be along to find him any minute now. Vincent gave up trying to coax him out and just settled in to watch.

"Are you sure you looked in _all_ of them, Marlene?"

"Uh-huh. Every single one."

"But he can't be anywhere else."

"Maybe he moved."

"I'll give you a boost, and you can check this one."

There was some scrabbling on the side of the crate and Marlene popped up over the edge. "There you are!" she giggled. "You're getting better at hiding! Come on, Denzel's it again."

Chaos hopped carefully out of the crate, shifting unhappily from foot to foot. Denzel was just moving to rest his head against the wall and count again when Chaos spoke up.

"I can't play again," he mumbled.

"You can't? Why not?"

"I feel sick."

Denzel snorted, obviously not believing, but Marlene hugged Chaos' leg and cooed sympathetically at him.

"That's okay. We can sit down and tell stories."

"That's no fun," Denzel pouted, but he was outvoted. The three of them retreated to the corner of the deck, Marlene cuddled back against Chaos' wings and Denzel being careful not to touch either of them.

"I'll go first," Marlene said. "Once upon a time, there was a castle built on the ocean. It was made out of big bubbles, so everything was smooth and round and there weren't any sharp parts to fall on and hurt yourself with. The castle had an anchor that went all the way down to the bottom of the ocean, to hold it there, because the queen…"

_Story time, hmm?_

How do I get out of this?

_Get out of it? Why?_

I don't know how to tell stories to children! The only stories I know are violent and bloody! That's the sort of story I like, remember? I can't tell those to them, Tifa will throw a fit when she finds out!

_Let them both go before you and I'll try to come up with something. It's really just a matter of making it up as you go._

"The problem with the castle was that it couldn't stay still. Every time the water moved, even a little, the castle rocked and all kinds of things fell down- books and dolls and flowers and stuff. Sometimes, when it was stormy, everything would rock so hard that even _people_ would fall down. They didn't like it, so they asked the queen to fix it, but the queen didn't know how. She went for a walk on the edge of the castle, where they had a little tiny beach going _all _the way around it. On the beach, everything was always moving because it was right on the edge and really thin. Most people would have fallen down, but the queen didn't because she knew how to walk when it was like that. When it goes up and down, you have to just keep your feet on it and move with the up and down, so it doesn't knock you over."

_You're kidding. She's doing it again._

"So the queen kept walking, and after awhile she saw a piece of Materia floating in the water and it didn't rock like the castle did, and that was because it was round, so the queen reached for it. But it was getting kind of stormy, because it was summer time and it always storms in the summer, and the castle was rocking really hard. It was hard to walk anymore, because it was like a seesaw when the big kids are playing with it and going up and down really fast, so they bounce off the seat every time. The queen didn't have anything to hang onto and she went flying into the water. She grabbed the Materia and swam there, waiting for her chance to get back on, and she cast the Materia by mistake. It froze everything, and she got back onto the beach and went to find- are you okay?"

"'m fine. Keep going."

Chaos dug his nails into his stomach and pushed hard against the railing. Honestly, if she hadn't had such gentle hands he'd have carried Marlene back to Tifa's cabin ages ago.

"You look sick," Denzel announced, peering into Chaos' face. "You're all sweaty, too. What's wrong?"

Marlene patted Chaos' shoulder.

"You're sick just like last time, huh?"

Chaos nodded.

"Why didn't you say so?"

He didn't answer. Marlene smiled reassuringly and stood up.

"Tifa says you should lie down when you don't feel good. Come on."

---------------------------------------------------

When Tifa dared to come back on deck in search of her charges, she found Chaos lying on one of the deck chairs, his wings stretched out to either side. Marlene had recruited Denzel to stroke them, so each had taken a side. Denzel wasn't as good at it, being one who tended to wrestle with dogs and tease cats rather than pet them, but the wing stayed limp under his hands. On Marlene's side, the wing was so limp it twitched sluggishly every now and then.

"Marlene?"

"Shhh," Marlene whispered. "He's asleep."

"Just what are you doing?"

"He's sick. Denzel and me are making him feel better."

"It was her idea," Denzel said quickly, recognizing Tifa's tone as the one demanding an explanation _now. _"But he looked really, _really_ bad."

Chaos stirred, turning a little and trying to lift one wing over himself. Since Denzel had his hands on it, it fluttered, then stilled and Chaos settled for covering his face with one hand. Marlene got up and nudged Tifa a few steps to the left, so her shadow was over Chaos. His hand slid back down onto the chair.

"I think you two should leave him alone now," Tifa cautioned, eyes flicking from the sharp claws to the single fang peeking out from under Chaos' lip. "He's dangerous."

"Is not," Denzel muttered.

"What?"

"He played with us, just like Vincent does. And he did it even though he's all sick. What's wrong with that?"

"Denzel, Chaos exists to fight. He's built for it, not for playing with you two, okay? You should go back to the cabin. I'll handle this."

"No." Marlene said firmly. "I'm going to make him better."

"There's no cure for seasickness, Marlene. He's just going to have to wait it out, like Yuffie does in the airship."

"No!"

"Marlene, go back to the cabin."

"I won't!"

"Go, Marlene. No point in getting in trouble," Chaos mumbled, blinking sleepily at her. "I'll be okay."

Marlene's eyes filled with tears.

"I want to stay and make you better!"

"He can get better on his own," Tifa promised. "Come on, back to the cabin. You too, Denzel."

Tifa herded the kids to the nearest stairwell and out of sight. Chaos curled up in his chair, miserable.

She hates me.

_No, she doesn't._

Then what do you call that?

_Fear. And the natural maternal urge to protect her children from anything she perceives as a threat. Remember, she has seen you go all-out homicidal maniac in battle, so she's allowed to worry a little._

She took Marlene away from me!

_Knowing Marlene, she'll be back. _

I want her back _now_.

_Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you have been around for centuries. Now is one of those times. You learned patience spending thirty years in a coffin with me- don't let it all go to waste because you aren't getting what you want._

Chaos muttered a few rude words but didn't say more than that.

-------------------------------------------

Down in Tifa's cabin, Marlene was in tears. None of Tifa's attempts at calming her had succeeded, so Tifa assigned Denzel to an eye on her while she went to get Cloud. When she returned with a sleepy blonde in tow, Marlene was still upset.

"Hey, what's the matter, Marlene?"

"T-Tifa won't l-l-let me play with C-c-chaos," Marlene whimpered.

"Does Chaos want to play with you? Are you sure you weren't bothering him?"

"Uh-huh. We p-played hide and g-go seek, and then we were telling stories, b-b-but he got sick so I s-s-said I'd make him b-b-better and T-t-Tifa won't let me!"

Cloud scooped Marlene up and hugged her, looking over her head at Tifa.

"He's seasick again?"

"I have no idea, but I don't want the kids left alone with him."

"He's harmless, Tifa."

"Cloud, you've _seen_ what he can do."

"Look at it from his point of view, Teef. We're Vincent's friends. From an animal point of view, we're his pack. The kids belong to all of us, and they have to be protected and cared for, regardless of who they choose to hang around. Chaos' freedom depends on his behavior- he knows hurting the kids will get him stuck inside Vincent for God knows how long, and he doesn't want that. Anyway, don't you think he might _want_ to play with them? Not many people are willing to even give him the time of day, even among the few of us who know him."

"But, _Cloud_-"

"He's smarter than you give him credit for. He likes her, and he likes Denzel, too, to an extent. Both of them pet him, and Marlene treats him like any other person…could be he's been looking for someone like her."

"She's _seven_."

"So she's not prejudiced. Big deal. She looks for someone to play with regardless of anything like color or views or species. Let her be that way, okay? You don't have to be mama wolf all the time."

Tifa sighed.

"I still don't like it," she murmured.

"Then sit in a corner of the deck with a book," Cloud suggested, tipping Marlene back so he could wipe the tears off her cheeks. Marlene giggled. "Don't get in their way. You can be on hand without being a nuisance, y'know."

"Alright."

Cloud put Marlene back on the bunk. She smiled at him, kicking while she waited for what she was sure Tifa was going to say.

"Marlene, you and Denzel can go play with Chaos again, but you have to stay near the open deck with the chairs, okay?"

"Okay!"

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Marlene and Denzel found Chaos on the port side deck, roughly amidships. He was busy being sick over the railing and failed to notice the approach of the two children until small hands started stroking his wings.

"Tifa doesn't want you out here," he mumbled, not looking up.

"She said it was okay," Marlene said, sliding her fingers into the narrow space between his back and the joint of his wing and rubbing. "Cloud talked to her."

"He did?"

"Uh-huh. Cloud likes you."

"He didn't say _that_," Denzel corrected. "But he told Tifa you wouldn't hurt us. You wouldn't, would you?"

Chaos smiled, relaxing under the gentle petting. He felt a bit better already.

"Never."


End file.
